Five of the best matches in the history of the IPL

It is that time of the year again. (Five of the best matches in the history of the IPL) The annual cricketing extravaganza known as the Indian Premier League is about to begin and the fans just cannot wait for it.

It has been ten years since the IPL was first launched and it has provided an immense amount of entertainment over the years.

We have witnessed some nail biting matches the likes of which we had never seen before. The best players in the world were competing against each other to provide us with some high quality cricketing action.

There have been many great matches in the IPL, but which were the best ones?

Here are the five best matches in the history of the IPL !

5) Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings (IPL 2010)

The Chennai Super Kings had made a terrible start to their campaign by only winning 2 out of their initial 7 games. But Doug Bollinger’s arrival was the impetus that they needed as they then went on an impressive winning streak.

But now they faced Punjab in a do or die encounter in which they had to record a victory to qualify for the semi finals.

But the match looked to be firmly in Punjab’s grasp with Chennai needing around 50 runs required from the last three overs and then 16 from the final over.

In one of the most iconic MS Dhoni moments, the Chennai captain smashed Irfan Pathan for two sixes and a four to drag Chennai into the semi finals.

4) Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians ( IPL 2013 )

In the last league match of the season, the KKR were coasting to victory over the Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens.

The match seemed to be in their hands when Laxshmipathy Balaji ran in to bowl the final over with 22 runs still required for victory.

But James Franklin had other ideas as he smashed Balaji for 4, 4, 4 and 4 in the first four deliveries of the over. He took a single of the next ball and put Ambati Rayudu on strike.

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With still a boundary required off the last bowl, Rayudu hit Balaji for a six and stunned the Eden Gardens in to silence. (Five of the best matches in the history of the IPL)

3) Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders ( IPL 2014)

The inaugural edition of the IPL 2014 was a thrilling contest between the Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Batting first, Rajasthan put up a modest 153 on the board. KKR seemed in control up until the 16th over when wickets started to tumble. With 3 runs required off the last ball, KKR could only manage a double as the match headed into the Super Over.

Rajasthan bowled well as they restricted KKR to only 12 in the Super Over. (Five of the best matches in the history of the IPL)

KKR turned to Sunil Narine to win the match for the, but the Aussie pair of Steve Smith and Shane Watson knocked off the runs and won the match for the Royals.

2) Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab (IPL 2008)

The first edition of the IPL was a sensational event as it had absolutely everything in it. The matches were also extremely thrilling with almost every match being filled to capacity.

In one of the best matches that year, Punjab batted first and were led by the very impressive Shaun Marsh as they piled on the runs and set Mumbai a target of 190.

Mumbai started off well but then struggled in the middle overs thanks to some tight bowling from Punjab.

With 19 runs required from the final over, Mumbai brought it back to 2 runs from the final delivery as their adoring Mumbai fans roared their team on.

But the batsmen could only manage to hit the ball to the hovering Yuvraj Singh as Yuvi completed a Johnty Rhodes style run out to snatch the win for Punjab.

1) Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals (IPL 2014)

Mumbai knew that they had to beat the Rajasthan Royals and they had to beat them well to stand a chance of qualifying for the knockout stage while Rajasthan knew that even a close defeat would be enough to send them through.

Batting first, Rajasthan piled on a huge 189 which meant that the Mumbai Indians had to chase this down in 14.3 overs to qualify. (Five of the best matches in the history of the IPL)

This was the moment for Corey Anderson as he blasted 95 runs to get Mumbai close to the finish line. With two required off the last ball, Mumbai could only sneak in a single and tied the match at the 14.3 overs stage.

While Rajasthan celebrated, the umpires were informed that Mumbai could still qualify if they hit a boundary off the next ball.

In what will always be remembered as one of the greatest IPL moments, Aditya Tare walked in a smashed a James Faulkner for a first ball six to seal a memorable victory and take Mumbai through in to the Playoffs.